Hoopla

With the football teams I root for having done so poorly this year, it is easy for me to say my favorite spectator sport is college basketball.

This weekend, the four greatest programs were paired up. Kentucky (UK) and North Carolina (UNC), the two programs that have won the most games (1,988 and 1,984 games respectively through last season) played against each other and played a game worthy of their tradition. Kansas (KU), the program launched by James Naismith who invented the game (and is the only KU coach to have a losing record) and is only the third Division 1 program with more than 1900 wins (1,970 through last season), went up against UCLA, the program with the most national championships (11). KU is currently ranked number one in the Coaches and AP polls and was never seriously challenged in the game. My Jayhawks are awesomely talented, but they do not appear to have the tenacity of the 2008 squad who won the national championship.

Cinderella is part of the appeal of college basketball. Little schools can be just as competitive as the big schools. I doubt Marshall or Gonzaga will ever challenge for football’s national championship, but they have a shot in basketball. One player can turn around a program. Even though I am a fan of Jayhawk basketball, I do not know the names of any of “The Miracles” who accompanied Danny Manning to win the 1988 championship. Likewise I do not remember Carmelo Anthony’s Syracuse teammates who robbed the 2003 Jayhawks of the championship.

With the college game the kids play the whole game. The game and the season are short enough the players exert themselves throughout every game; unlike the professional game where it seems as though they play hard only the last five minutes. In college it does not matter what part of the season it is – the early games that are tune ups, the regular season, and March Madness. Getting older, time seems to go faster, which has advantages - March Madness is just around the corner.